The UF College of Education’s online Master of Education degree program in “Reading: Language and Literacy” has been ranked second in the nation by TheBestSchools.org in its listing of The 25 Best Online Master in Reading Degree Programs.
UF’s online master’s in reading program is nationally accredited and addresses the standards and competencies required of Florida educator certification for teaching K-12 reading. Pictured, depicting the youthful pleasures of reading, is a bronze-painted, life-like statue by American sculptor Seward Johnson that was on display in UF’s Norman Hall courtyard in the summer and fall of 2011. (File photo)
TheBestSchools.org is a popular independent website for college information seekers.
UF’s reading education program joins two other COE online master’s degrees ranked highly in their specialty areas by the Web-based resource: education leadership at No. 5 and education technology at No. 9. The college’s overall online teacher education master’s program ranked sixth among public institutions and 13th including public and private institutions.
The website also ranks UF’s overall distance learning program second in the nation behind the Penn State World Campus.
Rankings are based on academic excellence, range of available classes, faculty strength, other rankings and reputation.
UF education professor Zhihui Fang, who coordinates the M.Ed. in reading program, said he was “obviously thrilled” with being ranked just behind a similar program at the University of Kansas.
“The program has received rave reviews from its graduates,” Fang said, adding that the lofty rating “is a testament to the high quality of work that our faculty has maintained and the high caliber of students we’ve been able to recruit.”
Student admissions selectivity—an indicator of high quality student enrollment—for the COE’s overall online learning program was rated best in the nation in January by U.S. News & World Report. The program was ranked 13th overall.
Fang said the master’s reading program – which requires 36 credit hours in areas such as diagnosis and remediation of reading difficulties, language arts, children’s literature, technology and literacy, and teaching English as a second language — was developed seven years ago to support prospective and practicing teachers in promoting literacy growth of K-12 learners across all subject areas.
The program is nationally accredited and addresses the standards and competencies required of Florida educator certification in Reading K-12.